Some Thoughts

All,

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m switching my hosting service. I’m still in the process of doing that. Until the nameservers point to the right place, you may see a different address at the top for this blog (starting with an IP address). Don’t worry, you are in the right place. You also won’t have to change your bookmarks or anything.

Once the nameservers point to my new host, the old address will work. Until then, I just have it set up to forward over here.

Again, this should be relatively transparent to you.

Thanks for your patience and please continue to comment!

As a heads up, I am currently in the process of switching my hosting services. So please bear with me as things transfer over. Hopefully all will be up and running again within a few days.

The address for this blog will remain the same. The look might be a bit different since I’ll be switching to WordPress from MovableType.

Thanks for your patience!

Recently I picked up a new hobby — fountain pens. I know there are probably some of you out there who have used them before (some schools used to utilize them in teaching handwriting). However, most of you probably have never used nor have ever thought about using a fountain pen.

Let me tell you — it’s a cool experience. Of course, one of the first things you have to get used to is spending a bit more money on a pen. A great starter pen can be found for around $50 brand new. I’m sure I’ve already lost people there. The nice thing, however, is that it is likely the pen will last a lifetime. There are many collectors who are using pens that were made in the early 1900’s. Unless you’ve tried it, it’s hard to describe what it is like using a fountain pen. I actually find that I can write more for longer since I don’t have to press down on the paper very hard to get the pen to write. Choosing an ink for the pen is another story altogether. It’s pretty cool using a pen that you fill from a bottle of ink.

Anyway, fountain pens are one way that I like to use to identify with the past. Another way I do that is through mechanical watches. I won’t delve too deeply into this subject here, though (maybe a future post). If you almost had a heart attack at the price of a single pen, you don’t want to see the prices of nice mechanical watches. However, there is something cool about using a watch that needs no electronic equipment at all. Springs and gears alone keep very accurate time — it’s quite amazing.

I think it is funny how fountain pens and mechanical watches are now considered luxury goods (depending on the brand, model, etc). Not too many years ago they were the standard. I like to think that these are my way of slowing the pace of life down a bit. I like technology as much as the next guy (heck, my degree is in computer science), but it is nice taking a step back every now and then.

If you are wondering if you can buy any of these things in Great Falls, the basic answer is no. I think Office Max has a single fountain pen that you can buy. As far as mechanical watches, I haven’t seen anywhere that carries them.

Does anyone out there share these hobbies? I’d be interested in your hobby or hobbies — feel free to comment!

The first thing I decided I would talk about on this blog is the progress (and sometimes lack thereof) of restaurants in Great Falls. I want to first say that my wife and I frequent many of the local restaurants in town and will continue to do so even as new chain restaurants open up. Some of our favorites are Bert and Ernies, Jakers, 5th Street Diner, and Rikki’s. We also frequent Applebees, Mackenzie River, and Tony Roma’s.

However, we are also very happy to see new chain restaurants being built. I’ve always had an issue with the lack of variety. While the food is excellent at the aforementioned local restaurants, it does get old having only a handful of restaurants to choose from. We are very excited that we’ll be getting the Chili’s and Macaroni Grill. Those two restaurants are incredibly good with wonderful atmospheres. Also, the Pita Pit and Noodles Express (when it opens) are nice additions. I was so happy to see that Pita Pit decided to stay open later than other restaurants in town. This town becomes relatively dead at night and it is nice to see that a restaurant recognizes that and is willing to stay open late.

I think new chain restaurants can do a lot for Great Falls. They will give residents even more to choose from when deciding where to dine. Also, competition is never bad in a free market. People always complain that local places can’t compete with chains. Well, if the food is good enough they will come. There are so many non-chain restaurants in Southern California (where I grew up) that people go to. I would argue that Southern California is one of those places that has just about every chain restaurant you can think of. Yet people still do dine at their favorite local place. It’s all about providing good food at a good price with great service (and oftentimes service is THE key).

With new chain restaurants being built one can see some growth in Great Falls. I’ve often been a critic of Great Falls in the past not because I necessarily dislike the town. I’m more of a critic because the town can be so much better than it is. I’m not saying that Great Falls should lose its identity but it should be open to growth and positive change.